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Newspapers of Germany: dailies, weeklies and public media
The German press is built around national dailies such as the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Frankfurter Allgemeine, weeklies like Der Spiegel and Die Zeit, and the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, nearly all readable online in German.
From Gutenberg to the post-war press
Mainz saw the birth of Gutenberg's printing press, and Germany long had a multitude of local sheets. After 1945 the Allies licensed new titles, several of which still shape today's landscape, such as Die Zeit, founded in Hamburg in 1946.
Which national dailies should you read first?
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is seen as liberal-conservative, Munich's Süddeutsche Zeitung as centre-left and Die Welt, owned by Axel Springer, as conservative. Berlin's cooperative taz sits on the left, while Bild remains the country's big popular tabloid.
Investigative weeklies and magazines
Der Spiegel, published in Hamburg since 1947, built a reputation for political investigations, and Die Zeit offers long features every Thursday. Stern and the Munich weekly Focus round out the range, with websites updated continuously between print editions.
Federalism reflected in the regional papers
Each Land has strong titles: the Frankfurter Rundschau in Hesse, the Tagesspiegel and Berliner Zeitung in Berlin, the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger in the Rhineland and the Rheinische Post in Düsseldorf. Locally, these papers often outweigh the national press, especially on municipal politics.
Publishing languages and minorities
German dominates overwhelmingly, but the Sorbian minority of Lusatia has publications in Sorbian, and Danish appears in the Schleswig press. Deutsche Welle broadcasts in many languages, including French, Arabic and English, for an international audience.
Digital-native sites, newsletters and apps
T-online, a widely visited news portal, and digital outlets such as Correctiv, a non-profit investigative newsroom based in Essen, illustrate the online press. The Tagesschau, Spiegel and FAZ apps send alerts, and many newsrooms publish morning newsletters.
dpa, the agency at the heart of the system
The Deutsche Presse-Agentur, founded in 1949 and based in Berlin, supplies most German newsrooms. Its wires carry the dpa credit at the foot of articles, which explains why the same fact appears in almost identical wording across several newspapers.
ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandfunk: public service media
ARD's Tagesschau bulletin, broadcast from Hamburg at 8 pm, remains a national fixture, as does heute on ZDF in Mainz. Deutschlandfunk offers rolling news radio, and the public media libraries let viewers catch up on programmes online.
Reading about Germany in French
Deutsche Welle runs a French-language site, and the Franco-German channel Arte, based in Strasbourg, regularly covers German affairs. To place these sources, see also the French press online and the overview of the European press by country.
Handelsblatt, Kicker and the specialist press
Düsseldorf's Handelsblatt is the leading business and financial paper, complemented by the weekly Wirtschaftswoche. In sport, Kicker has covered the Bundesliga for decades and Sport Bild follows football daily. These titles are invaluable for tracking German companies and clubs.
Press freedom and the legal framework
Article 5 of the 1949 Basic Law guarantees press freedom, and the German Press Council, the Presserat, reviews ethics complaints. Journalists nevertheless report pressure while covering demonstrations as well as smear campaigns directed at them online.
Paying, comparing, verifying
Spiegel+, FAZ+ and SZ Plus keep part of their articles for subscribers, while the Tagesschau stays free. Comparing a conservative and a left-leaning title helps spot angles, and the press of German-speaking Switzerland offers a neighbouring perspective.
Keeping up with German news from abroad
- Pick a national daily, for example the FAZ or the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and add a free site such as the Tagesschau.
- Look for the dpa credit in articles to tell agency wires apart from each newsroom's own reporting.
- Install the Tagesschau or Deutsche Welle app to receive alerts in German, English or French.
- Listen to Deutschlandfunk live online to hear parliamentary debates and in-depth political interviews.
- Read a regional title from the Land you care about, such as the Rheinische Post or the Tagesspiegel, for local politics.
- Compare Die Welt and the taz on the same subject to measure the gap between conservative and left-wing lines.
Access and subscriptions for the German press
| Media type | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tagesschau, ZDFheute | Free | Funded by the German broadcasting fee |
| Der Spiegel, FAZ, Süddeutsche Zeitung | Partly paid | Premium articles reserved for subscribers, variable pricing |
| taz | Free with voluntary contribution | Optional reader payment model |
| Handelsblatt | Paid subscription | Variable pricing, frequent trial offers |
| Digital newsstands and e-papers | Paid | PDF replica of the print edition, indicative price depending on the offer |
Practical pointers for Germany's press
- Language: German, with Deutsche Welle available in French and English
- National agency: Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), Berlin
- Public broadcasting: ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandfunk
- Leading dailies: FAZ, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Welt
- Business: Handelsblatt; sport: Kicker
- Time zone: Central European Time, same as Paris
- Subscription currency: euro
Pitfalls when reading German media
- Confusing Bild, a tabloid with sensational headlines, with an analytical daily like the FAZ, when their methods and tone differ sharply.
- Taking as genuine the copies of Spiegel or Süddeutsche websites spread by disinformation networks, a practice already flagged by the German authorities.
- Reading an article from Der Postillon, a German satirical site, as real news when it is an open parody.
- Sharing an old dpa wire without checking its date, especially during political crises or regional elections.
- Using paywall-bypass sites for Spiegel+ or FAZ+, which often carry misleading ads and infringe publishers' rights.
Your questions about German newspapers
Which is the most-read newspaper in Germany?
Bild remains the most widely circulated popular daily, but for political analysis readers tend to turn to the Süddeutsche Zeitung or the FAZ. Online, the Bild, Spiegel and Tagesschau sites rank among the most visited in the country.
Can you follow German news in French?
Yes. Deutsche Welle has a French-language desk, and Arte broadcasts news and documentaries in French from Strasbourg. The major German papers remain in German, however; a translation tool helps read their articles without distorting the essentials.
Are German public broadcasters controlled by the state?
ARD and ZDF are public-law bodies independent of the government, funded by a household fee and overseen by councils that include civil society and party representatives. Their management is nonetheless the subject of recurring debate.
Which source covers the German economy?
The Handelsblatt is the leading business daily, complemented by the Wirtschaftswoche and the FAZ business pages. For official data, the federal statistics office Destatis and the Bundesbank publish releases picked up by the entire press.